Thomas Kjellberg Jensen

The main part of my research focuses on how III-V semiconductor nanostructures and molecular dyes interact with and are affected by photons and electrons. Currently, I am using time-resolved PhotoEmission Electron Microscopy (PEEM) to study plasmons in semiconductor materials.

Popular science introduction

I am passionate about the interaction between light and matter; more specifically between photons and electrons. This interaction is fundamental in many applications, such as solar cells, LEDs, fluorescent dyes used for medical imaging etc. My interests tend towards the microscopic side of reality, for example on how selective illumination of a 100 nanometer wide "nanowire" can be used to control the emission of light from a nano-sized LED. Or how shining light on a plastic film containing dye molecules can cause temporary structural changes in the molecules, which in turn affect their optical properties.

Examples of past research:

• Using Optical Beam Induced Current (OBIC) measurements, I have explored the functionality of devices formed by interconnected single III-V nanowires, with applications in neuromorphic computing.
• As part of the Horizon Europe research programme InsectNeuroNano, I have investigated the memory effect offered by systems consisting of a reversibly bleachable molecular dye combined with III-V semiconductor nanowires. Such systems could form part of an on-chip photonic neuromorphic network.
• Using computational quantum-chemical Density Functional Theory (DFT), I have studied the photo-induced catalytic activation of a di-iron metal complex. This molecular dye could be relevant for abundant-earth dye-sensitized solar cells.
• Additionally, I have worked with the manufacturing of thin-film optical microcavities for the study of the polaritonic coupling between dye molecules and the cavity itself, with a possible application in artificially enhanced photosynthesis.